Man charged with shooting another and sexual assault of minor

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A Muskegon man accused of sexually assaulting a minor has also been charged with shooting a man and trying to rob him.

Demarcus Wade, 34, of Muskegon in being held in jail on a $1 million bond for assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and assault with intent to rob. A $50,000 bond has been set for the third-degree criminal sexual assault charge.

Both cases appear to be connected, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat, who declined to elaborate.

The shooting occurred in the 600 block of Howell Street in Muskegon Heights just after midnight on Aug. 15, Maat said. Police had been dispatched to an unknown problem in the 600 block of Howell and heard seven to 10 gunshots, Maat said.

A short time later, a 911 caller reported she had a gunshot victim in her apartment in the same block, he said. The male victim had been shot through the upper left thigh with the bullet lodging in his right thigh, Maat said.

The victim reported that a man known to him had pulled a gun on him and demanded the keys to his vehicle, Maat said. When the man refused, he was shot and then fled, he said.

Assault with intent to rob while armed is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. Assault with intent to do great bodily harm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The sexual assault complaint involves sexual penetration of a minor between the ages of 13 and 15. That's a felony punishable by up to 15 years. However, Wade is being charged as a third-time habitual offender, which increases the potential sentence on the CSC charge to 30 years.

Wade has a 2006 conviction for unarmed robbery and a 2017 conviction for third offense driving while intoxicated, both of which are felonies.

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